6 Things Your Employee Cyber Security Policy Needs

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Grace Carter is a career coach at Boomessays and UKWritings services, where she also helps with resume assessing and getting an interview for a dream job. Also, Grace teaches writing at Essayroo academic website.

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The best way to educate your employees about cybersecurity is to develop an employee cybersecurity policy. Here are six things your employee cybersecurity policy needs.

There is a lot of impressive technology that exists to help prevent cyber attacks, but if your employees aren’t informed, that technology alone will not be able to stop a breach. The best way to educate your employees about cybersecurity is to develop an employee cybersecurity policy. Here are six things your employee cybersecurity policy needs.

Have a checklist

“One of the best ways to write a solid cybersecurity policy is to start with a checklist. The priority should be simplicity (so that everyone can easily understand) and standardization. It’s also crucial that the checklist is easily available so that employees may turn to it when they need clarification,” advises Chad Hunter, cyber security manager at Big Assignments. A good checklist will include basic hardware practices such as locking down a computer when not in use and immediately reporting missing devices.

Keep everything up to date

A big part of keeping your company data secure is making sure employees are diligent about applying updates and patches when required. There can be a lot of different types of devices and operating systems in a workplace. It’s important that there is centralized action on the part of the IT department, to ensure all devices and OSs are up to date. Usually, this takes the form of mandatory updates when a device in need connects to the network. This is in contrast to the option of simply letting the user know it is time for a security update. The former method can be inconvenient when an employee wants to use the device, but the increased level of cyber attacks makes the mandatory option worthwhile.

Make clarity a priority

Your policy should be clear and understandable to anyone who refers to it. Make clarity a priority by taking the time to write it well, and have it proofread. SimpleGrad, WritingPopulist, and MyWritingWay can help you ensure the grammar is flawless. EliteAssignmentHelp is a proofreading service you can access to produce a polished cybersecurity policy. Be sure to explain just how important cybersecurity is to the company and its employees. Let your employees know that security breaches can have a disastrous effect on the efficiency and integrity of the company.

Phishing awareness

Describe in your policy the different types of phishing operations, so your employees know what to watch out for. Instruct them to be very cautious about opening attachments, even if the message seems to be from someone they know. They can go to the company website for the information rather than clicking on the link and risking it. Be sure they know to never open an attachment from an unfamiliar sender. Make your employees aware that many phishing scams can be very convincing and can appear to be messages from people they work with.

Audits

Conduct an audit of your IT department and its practices. Look at software and hardware practices, as well as remote site personnel habits and the ‘edges’ of your company. ‘Edges’ refers to things such as automated machines and IoT (internet of things) you may use. “Don’t just insist on audits at your company, demand them from vendors and partners as well. Before signing a contract with a party, investigate their security practices. You should be able to review a yearly audit from any vendor you partner with,” recommends Henrietta Mallet, tech writer at OXEssays.

Back up and secure your data

Most companies back up their data regularly. The problem is many of them don’t back up their data properly. Include a policy that stipulates IT tests data backups and disaster recovery at least once a year. A backup can be incredibly useful for recovering the previous day’s data, but only if it is working correctly. It’s also a good idea to physically secure your most valuable hardware. A server can be put in a locked cage to ensure only people with the proper security clearance can access it.

Conclusion

Your employees are your last line of defense against a cyber attack. A staff that is well informed and diligent with regards to cyber security is integral to keeping your data secure. Developing an effective employee cybersecurity policy is the best way to educate your employees about the importance of cybersecurity.